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| Prawn chilli fry with pao |
We spent out honeymoon, years back, in
one of the five star hotels of South Goa.
one of the five star hotels of South Goa.
I remember the property, the pool, the
room, the sit out, the swimming pool and even the sauna and table tennis rooms
and the beach outside quite vividly.
room, the sit out, the swimming pool and even the sauna and table tennis rooms
and the beach outside quite vividly.
What I have absolutely no recollection of
is the food that we ate there!
is the food that we ate there!
Our meals were included in the package we had
taken. The food was from a buffet and was fairly nondescript and didn’t have a
Goan flavour.
taken. The food was from a buffet and was fairly nondescript and didn’t have a
Goan flavour.
Towards the end of our stay we had
discovered a tiny little shack outside the hotel. Bored of the hotel food we
went in there to see what was on offer. We tried out a dish called prawn chilli
fry there and fell in love with it. We were so besotted by the juicy prawns
cooked in a tangy, sweet, fiery spice mix that we went the next day too to have
one last bite of it before leaving for Mumbai.
discovered a tiny little shack outside the hotel. Bored of the hotel food we
went in there to see what was on offer. We tried out a dish called prawn chilli
fry there and fell in love with it. We were so besotted by the juicy prawns
cooked in a tangy, sweet, fiery spice mix that we went the next day too to have
one last bite of it before leaving for Mumbai.
On subsequent trips we discovered the prawn
chilli fry at Britto’s in North Goa. It became a must eat during every trip we
made to Baga in Goa.
chilli fry at Britto’s in North Goa. It became a must eat during every trip we
made to Baga in Goa.
When we came back from our honeymoon I got
frozen Sumeru prawns from the market and tried to replicate the taste of what
had in the shack back home. I didn’t have a recipe to go by so I added chilli
powder, ketchup for the sweetness, vinegar for the tart, garam masala and
chillies and cooked it.
frozen Sumeru prawns from the market and tried to replicate the taste of what
had in the shack back home. I didn’t have a recipe to go by so I added chilli
powder, ketchup for the sweetness, vinegar for the tart, garam masala and
chillies and cooked it.
The memories of which came back when recently
FBAI sent a review box of prawns from the Seafood and Meat Co. I decided to
make the prawn chilli fry again after years.
FBAI sent a review box of prawns from the Seafood and Meat Co. I decided to
make the prawn chilli fry again after years.
Turned out the prawns that they had sent were excellent and
the dish turned out to be really good. Which is why I thought that I must share
my version of the prawn chilli fry with you.
the dish turned out to be really good. Which is why I thought that I must share
my version of the prawn chilli fry with you.
So here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
(for 2)
(for 2)
- ·
250 g cleaned prawns - ·
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (we
use rice oil) - ·
1 teaspoon chopped garlic - 2 potatoes, cubed and parboiled
- ·
½ teaspoon sugar - ·
1 finely chopped or sliced
onions - ·
½ a finely chopped tomato - ·
1 teaspoon garam masala - ·
½ teaspoon chilli powder - ·
½ teaspoon salt - ·
½ teaspoon crushed black pepper - ·
1 tablespoon vinegar - ·
3 sliced green chillies (they add chopped capsicum in Britto’s) - ·
1 teaspoon chopped coriander
Cook
- ·
Heat the oil in a pan - ·
Add the garlic and let it fry
till it browns - ·
Add the onion and stir till it
becomes translucent - ·
Add the tomatoes and stir till
they become soft - Add the pre-boiled potatoes and stir
- ·
Add the prawns - ·
Add salt, sugar, garam masala,
chilli powder, pepper, vinegar, chillies and stir on a high heat for 2 -3
minutes and you should be done. The prawn should have turned white and must
remain juicy and not over-cooked - ·
Add coriander at the end as a
standard garnish - ·
Best had with soft Mumbai pao,
crusty Goa poi or slice bread
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| Prawn chilli fry fresh off the wok |
Now there is a reason why I don’t call this
my version of a Goan prawn chilli fry.
my version of a Goan prawn chilli fry.
In response to a Facebook query on the same
I asked my Goan friend, Gia, whether Goans add garam masala to prawns.
I asked my Goan friend, Gia, whether Goans add garam masala to prawns.
She replied that Goans add garam masala to
meats but never to prawns or fish.
meats but never to prawns or fish.
I then asked her what goes into a prawn
chilli fry.
chilli fry.
Chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder
was her reply.
was her reply.
So my suggestion would be to try out both
versions and hopefully both will work for you.
versions and hopefully both will work for you.
Looks delicious!